How does a woman in a male-dominated military field develop a leadership voice, and how does that translate to corporate work? You’ll learn more during today’s interview with Harriet Johnson.

Harriet earned a Navy scholarship to afford school outside of her home state of Georgia. She went to Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, then went on to active duty in the Navy for 12 years as a helicopter pilot and staff officer, and then served an additional 5 years as a reserve officer. She's been in pharma now for over eight years, mostly in manufacturing at large- and medium-sized companies.

Listen to the episode to learn more about how she made it through difficult experiences, how military leadership translates to her current work life, and a bit about Harriet's personal experiences through this time.

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

• Harriet’s background and how she got to this point in her career
• Harriet's many destinations throughout her life
• Harriet’s time as a female helicopter pilot of a Seahawk helicopter
• Harriet’s challenges in finding her way in the tactical squadron
• How Harriet found her leadership voice as a pilot
• How Harriet kept her head up through difficult experiences
• A decision Harriet wishes she hadn’t made
• What leadership was like in the military, and how that leadership translates to her home and work life now
• The differences between a military experience and a corporate experience
• Harriet’s callsign
• Ideas for someone who's growing in their career

Resources:

Harriet Johnson

What does it mean to be a lifelong learner, and how can you do it? How does it benefit you? Today’s guest, Sam Howard, explains what it means to him to be a lifelong learner and how he does it. 

Sam Howard was previously a managing consultant for Enterey. Today, he’s a Senior Program Manager at Dendreon. In today’s interview, he discusses his career, going back to his days in the military and how he transitioned from that to life sciences. He also talks about whether leaders are born or made, the difference between managers and leaders, and how he recommends getting more reading time in.

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode:

• How Sam decided on a military career coming out of school
• Correlations between Sam’s scientific training and military work
• Whether leadership is innate or something that can be fostered
• The difference between managing and leading
• How Sam adapted to different leaders he had to work for or follow
• Who influenced Sam’s development as a leader
• One minimally viable self-improvement thing that can be done daily
• The best books Sam has read
• How to get more reading time in
• Sam’s networking strategies

Resources:

Sam Howard

What is the secret to dealing with people and establishing connections? How does this help when transitioning to a leadership role?  

Sue Marchant is the Vice President of Product Management at MasterControl. In today’s episode, she talks with hosts Mike Ferletic and Courtney Boudreaux are joined by guest host Nancy Coughlin for a discussion. Listen to the episode to hear them discuss the goals she has as a product manager, the challenges of transitioning to a leadership role, and her early experience with developing and launching her own software.   

Topics Discussed in Today’s Episode: 

• How Sue got to where she is today 
• What a product manager does & the goal of a product manager 
• How Sue incorporated her team’s talents into projects
• Sue’s experience with developing and launching her own software
• Challenges of transitioning to a leadership role 
• The rise of remote and virtual work options
• Advice for connecting with and dealing with other people
• Where Sue is headed with products at MasterControl

Resources:  

Sue Marchant